From airplanes to birds, the phenomenon of flight has always amazed and mystified humans. Therefore, it is unsurprising that scientists have invested a substantial amount of research into unraveling the secrets of flight evolution. Over the course of the past decade, the science of flight evolution has recently experienced a research renaissance, most of the information has been confined to the ivory tower of academia. In On the Wing, David Alexander delves into the evolution of flight in each of the four animal groups that evolved powered flight: insects, pterosaurs, birds, and bats. Alexander presents and compares each group's evolutionary history, including diversification and partial or complete extinction, especially as related to flight. The evolution of flight in animals is fascinating story riddled with scientific controversy and colorful characters, from the incredible Archaeopteryx to the recently-discovered feathered dinosaur Microraptor. Chapter topics include aerodynamics, comparisons and contrasts among the powered flyers, and the ultimate evolution away from flight. Alexander even examines the surprisingly diverse group of gliding animals, including squirrels, snakes, and ants. Through rigorous yet accessible writing, Alexander offers a comprehensive and engaging account of the evolution of flight, from dinosaurs to modern birds. On the Wing will delight and inform everyone from bird lovers to dinosaur enthusiasts, and offers key insights into the perpetual mystery of flight.

A field guide to 60 dinosaurs and prehistoric animals that once lived in what is now North America. Featuring stunning illustrations of each animal by world-famous artist Sergey Krosovskiy and based on the latest paleontogical research, this book provides information about the where and when the animals lived, what they ate, and more.

Dinosaurs didn't die out when an asteroid hit Earth 66 million years ago. Get ready to unthink what you thought you knew and journey into the deep, dark depths of the Jurassic. The discovery of the first feathered dinosaur in China in 1996 sent shockwaves through the world of palaeontology. Were the feathers part of a complex mating ritual? A stepping-stone in the evolution of flight? And just how closely related is T. Rex to a chicken? In Flying Dinosaurs award-winning journalist John Pickrell reveals how dinosaurs developed flight and became the birds in our backyards. He delves into the latest discoveries in China, the US, Europe and Australia and goes beyond the science to uncover a thriving black market in fossils, infighting between ego-driven dinosaur hunters, and the controversial plan to use a chicken to bring dinosaurs back from the dead.

A collaboration to excite the mind and dazzle the eye, probing such mysteries as: Where the first dinosaurs appeared and how they evolved; how the giant sauropods lived and reared their young; hunting strategies among the predators; migratory habits and family life of the dinosaurs; possible causes of extinction. An extraordinary new look at the prehistoric life of the dinosaurs by some of the world's foremost paleontologists, dinosaur illustrators, and visionary authors. This unique collaboration produces a spectacular tour of the world of the dinosaurs with vivid pictures, fascinating new ideas and thought-provoking tales by a dozen respected dreamers.

Written for the general reader, this book is both a colorful introduction to the history and study of dinosaurs and an eye-opening survey of dinosaur discoveries in Spain. At the time of the dinosaurs, Iberia was in the process of becoming a peninsula of Continental Europe and looked very different than it does today. Now an area only slightly larger than Vermont and New Hampshire, Eastern Iberia contains one of the richest fossil records of Mesozoic vertebrates in Europe. This record spans an 80-million-year period that includes key moments in Earth s history, such as the extinction events at the Jurassic-Cretaceous and the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundaries. Dinosaurs of Eastern Iberia tells the story of Iberia s tumultuous geological history and presents a detailed synthesis of the region s dinosaur discoveries, with fact sheets and reconstructions of each species found there. This volume also describes the flora and fauna that made up the ancient ecosystems and explores the paleobiogeography of this dynamic region."

Here is the fifth supplement to Dinosaurs: The Encyclopedia, a 1998 American Library Association Outstanding Reference Book. Since the publication of the acclaimed first volume, a virtual explosion in the number of exciting discoveries in dinosaur paleontology has made supplemental volumes necessary and indispensable. Among the many dramatic events discussed in the fifth supplement are the discovery of what may be the largest Jurassic theropod specimen yet collected; the uncovering of evidence of a dinosaur possessing opposable fingers; and Robert M. Sullivan's reassessment of Pachycepholasauria. Like the previous supplements, this volume includes lengthy sections on dinosaurian schematics and genera and updates the encyclopedia's list of excluded genera. Supplemental volumes do not repeat information from earlier volumes, but build upon them: view all volumes on the series page.

Today, we know that a mammoth is an extinct type of elephant that was covered with long fur and lived in the north country during the ice ages. But how do you figure out what a mammoth is if you have no concept of extinction, ice ages, or fossils? Long after the last mammoth died and was no longer part of the human diet, it still played a role in human life. Cultures around the world interpreted the remains of mammoths through the lens of their own worldview and mythology. When the ancient Greeks saw deposits of giant fossils, they knew they had discovered the battle fields where the gods had vanquished the Titans. When the Chinese discovered buried ivory, they knew they had found dragons' teeth. But as the Age of Reason dawned, monsters and giants gave way to the scientific method. Yet the mystery of these mighty bones remained. How did Enlightenment thinkers overcome centuries of myth and misunderstanding to reconstruct an unknown animal? The journey to unravel that puzzle begins in the 1690s with the arrival of new type of ivory on the European market bearing the exotic name "mammoth." It ends during the Napoleonic Wars with the first recovery of a frozen mammoth. The path to figuring out the mammoth was traveled by merchants, diplomats, missionaries, cranky doctors, collectors of natural wonders, Swedish POWs, Peter the Great, Ben Franklin, the inventor of hot chocolate, and even one pirate. McKay brings together dozens of original documents and illustrations, some ignored for centuries, to show how this odd assortment of characters solved the mystery of the mammoth and, in doing so, created the science of paleontology.

From their discovery in the 19th century to the dawn of the Nuclear Age, dinosaurs were seen in popular culture as ambassadors of the geological past and as icons of the ""life through time"" narrative of evolution. They took on a more foreboding character during the Cold War, serving as a warning to mankind with the advent of the hydrogen bomb. As fears of human extinction escalated during the ecological movement of the 1970s, dinosaurs communicated their metaphorical message of extinction, urging us from our destructive path. Using an eclectic variety of examples, this book outlines the three-fold ""evolution"" of dinosaurs and other prehistoric monsters in pop culture, from their poorly understood beginnings to the 21st century.

Christopher McGowan sets out to solve some of the enduring mysteries about dinosaurs and other prehistoric reptiles. He makes fascinating comparisons between living and extinct animals while presenting topics that range from gigantism to intellect. In addition to exploring the natural history of the Mesozoic Era, McGowan draws on science and engineering concepts to explain curiosities such as the similarities between the aerodynamics of pteranodons and Spitfire planes.

The books in this wonderfully diverse series cover topics such as archaeology, art, culture, history, literature, science, and religion in a dynamic and informative way. The texts are bolstered by rigorous historical information and accompanied by vibrant photographs and boxes that summarize key points. All of the volumes in this collection are a thorough introduction to the subject being discussed. "Los libros en esta serie maravillosamente diversa abordan temas como la arqueologia, el arte, la cultura, la historia, la literatura, la ciencia y la religion de una manera dinamica e informativa. Los textos son reforzados por datos historicos rigurosos y se acompanan de fotografias vibrantes y cuadros sinopticos. Todos los volumenes en esta coleccion son una introduccion exhaustiva al tema que se expone.""" In this paleontological survey, Jean-Guy Michard invites readers to explore the world of dinosaurs, introducing them to ferocious carnivores such as "Tyrannosaurus rex" and herbivores like "Diplodocus." Among the issues discussed are dinosaur habits and habitats, as well as the reasons for their disappearance. "En este estudio paleontologico, Jean-Guy Michard invita a los lectores a explorar el mundo de los dinosaurios, presentandoles carnivoros feroces como "Tyrannosaurus rex" y herbivoros como "Diplodocus." Entre los temas que se discuten estan los habitos y los habitats de los dinosaurios, asi como las razones por su desaparicion."